McElhinney starts work on Jacks design

Designer Ryan McElhinney is designing the brand identity, interiors and lighting scheme for Jacks, the fourth bar he is planning to open in London’s Waterloo.

The 260m2 venue, located in a former railway arch, will feature a lounge, VIP area, bar and a stage for live entertainment. It is the latest addition to a family-run chain of bars, which includes the boxing-themed bar, The Ring, The Kings Arms and The Windmill, also situated in the Waterloo area. Jacks will open on Isabella Street in November.

The bar is being designed to appeal to a younger clientele and the interiors will be a ‘cross between Frank Sinatra and the burlesque era, like the bars in the Prohibition era but given a contemporary twist,’ explains McElhinney.

The scheme will include bespoke furniture and lighting, such as custom-made lounge tables, chandeliers and velvet lamps.

McElhinney has designed the interiors for the other three bars he has set up over the past 12 years.

‘The other bars feature a safer version of my design work. The Waterloo area is really growing and we wanted to open Jacks to attract a younger clientele,’ he adds.

McElhinney set up his studio Jacket in 2001 and has worked with clients including Channel Four, Noel Gallagher, Intel and London’s Sketch restaurant.